


Beginnings

by Dinocanid



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Attempted Murder, Everyone is young, F/M, Gen, Human-Monster war era, M/M, Murder, Prequel, Suggestive Themes, ambiguous time period
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-30
Updated: 2018-07-05
Packaged: 2018-09-03 02:27:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8692816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dinocanid/pseuds/Dinocanid
Summary: An imagining of the story before, slightly during, and maybe after the war. Relations between humans and monsters are beginning to sour. How does it affect the kids? Some could end up changed forever...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The initial pitch for this fanfic. After a chapter or two I'll continue based on how well received it is.

 

Young Gaster had his arms folded on the edge of the ship; staring out into the sunlit open ocean. He didn't bother sleeping last night, he wasn't tired. He was busy wondering about how things were in America. What the monsters were like, and if the humans were nice over there. He didn't want to leave his home in Europe, but his parents worked for the king as researchers and they received a letter stating that they were needed in the capital city. A few weeks at sea later and here they were, not too far from shore.

"Is everything alright? You’ve been out here since yesterday evening."

It was his father, Corbel, checking up on him. He stood proud and tall; he wanted to be like him one day. If only his parents weren’t so into their work...

Gaster didn't avert his gaze and just simply nodded.

"I know that it's hard leaving everyone behind, but sometimes you have to look at the greater scope of things and understand what is most important." His father said; putting a hand on his child's shoulder.

"I don't understand why we have to move. Why couldn't you and Mum just visit the king and come home?“

"Because, son, it's our job under the king of monsters to help ensure everyone's safety. We’ve been summoned for something more serious and we must be available to report. I couldn't leave my family behind, now could I?"

"No..."

"Of course not. I'm sure you'll really like the capital city. You should find lots of new friends there."

"HeheheheheheheHAHAHA" A muffled chorus of laughter could be heard from the chambers of the ship, and a window slammed open to reveal an angry Snowdrake.

"Skeleton! If you don't come get your demon spawn skeleton dogs I swear to the gods...!"

Gaster and his father chuckled at what the bird monster called them.

"I'm on my way, don't get your feathers in a bunch."

The young skeleton was fond of his family's blasters; even if they were a nuisance to bystanders. They were common companions to skeletons where he came from; it's just that they had so many. 5 in fact. 5 giant skeleton dogs galloping around the ship and wreaking havoc. The captain would've locked them down in the hold if his father hadn't refused.

 

When the ship finally docked, the skeleton family was practically thrown off the ship.  They made their way from the port and, just as they did, Verdana and Calibri sped away and galloped off into the city.

"Curse those hounds, they can never seem to stay put. Gaster, would you be a dear and fetch them? The last thing we need is for our first impression to be ruined." Gaster's mother, Candara, asked.

"Yes Ma'am." He said before running off after them. They left large prints in the dirt, so they wouldn't be hard to find. The prints led into a residential part of the city where their prints were lost in cobblestone paths. His attention was drawn towards telltale cackling and chuckles that said they were close. He rounded the corner and found them eating away at something with stray papers strewn here and there across the street. Another young monster around his age was standing nearby with a defeated look. They were a fire monster with the fire barely flickering about as they usually do.

Okay; first the problem. Questions later.

"Verdana! Calibri! Cut it out! What are you eating?" He shouted; pushing their skulls until he saw some crumbs and a stray piece of lettuce fall from their mouths. Uh oh.

"Ah geez, that was yours wasn't it? I'm sorry, they're just so greedy..." He said to the fire monster.

Well, there was no getting that lunch back now. He couldn't just leave it at that and go home, it was rude!

"Uh...sorry about my dogs. I could get you something else to eat if you..wanted...to..." 

Gaster trailed off as the kid just looked at him. He wasn't saying anything and this was getting awkward fast. Then, the fire monster shook their head.

"It's fine, I wasn't that hungry anyway. I was just waiting for you to finish; you apologize a lot."

He did? He only did it twice. Was the kid not used to hearing them?

"You said those are  _dogs_?"

"Well, sort of. They're blasters-since they fire lasers from their mouths-but they're like dogs, so they might as well be."

"Sounds...dangerous."

"Says the kid made of fire."

"I guess that's fair."

"I'm Gaster, I just moved here. What about you?" He said, extending an arm for a hand shake.

Wait wait wait the kid's made of fire, abort abort abortabort.

Oh.

It doesn't burn.

"My name's Grillby."


	2. New Home

Hopefully Grillby hadn't noticed his 2 second panic attack, but something told him that he did and was just being nice about it.

"I have to get these two home, my parents are waiting for me." Gaster said while climbing onto Calibri's back. "I'll uh, see you around I guess?"

"Yeah, I work at the Inn most of the time. I'll see you if you ever stop by." Said the kid before he hurried off somewhere. Maybe to work? Regardless, he didn't have time to follow him now.

"Come on you two, we can't keep mum and dad waiting!"

Calibri garbled and trotted back to the port with Verdana close behind.

His mother was waiting for him on a bench when he arrived.

"There you are! If you were out longer I would have gone looking for you."

Candara picked up her son from the blaster's back and placed him on the ground before holding his hand.

"Come on then. Your father and the other blasters have gone to our new home already."

 

And what a beautiful home it was.

 

It was definitely nothing fancy. A well-built wooden two story house with a front lawn. Right inside the front door was a kitchen with a study down the hallway and the bedrooms up the stairwell. Gaster's room was at the end of the hall. It lacked a window, but he didn't mind. He plopped down on the bed and layed there. Being up all day, he hadn't realized how tired he had been. He didn't even bother asking his parents if he could accompany them to see the king; not that they would have said yes anyway. A scratch was heard on his door, followed by the garbled voice of one of the blasters. They spoke in nonsense, but he heard them long enough to know his name and the nightly routine.

"Gaster?"

"Yes?

"Are you asleep?"

"No."

The doorknob rattled as they fumbled with it. Perhaps he should get up and open it.

 

But he was sure they had it.

 

The door opened after some time and the blaster poked their head through the door so only their nose hole was showing.

"You can come in."

They did that now instead of barging in because one time they did and he wasn't exactly dressed. It was Arial this time and she came to tuck him in for the night. She gently pulled the blanket over him and pressed her teeth on his forehead in a kiss.

"Thanks Arial. Good night."

"Goodnight two-leg child."

 

The blaster then left the room; pulling the door closed behind her. Gaster shuffled around under the covers to get comfortable before finally putting his head on the pillow to rest. His mind wandered to the fire monster he met earlier that day. Grillby, was it? Maybe he would stop by the Inn in the morning; he seemed like an interesting kid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The translated lines from Arial are :  
> "Gaster?"  
> "Are you asleep?"  
> '"Goodnight two-leg child."
> 
> If you don't have the WingDings font on your computer or phone then her dialogue will just show up in english anyway. It would be in all caps though. On the bright side, I learned that scissors are quotation marks.


	3. Visiting the inn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Screams into the 8th dimension*  
> Okay so it takes me literally forever to write anything. I didn't mean for this to take so long. Unfortunately, this chapter is kind of dialogue-heavy.

That morning, Gaster woke up and got fully dressed, since he intended to leave early. With it being early winter, he settled on a white sweater to stay warm. He then made his bed and looked around to make sure everything else was tidy before he walked downstairs. His mother always made tea early in the morning, and he didn't want to miss her.

While on his way to the kitchen, he spotted Myanmar, another one of the blasters, with his head in the window. It didn't seem like he could get himself out either.

“Uh, Myanmar?”

“Little brother! Is that you?”

“What are you doing there?”

“A conniving bird kept screeching in the window this morning, so I gave him what for! I can't get out though, I'm sorry…”

“I'll tell mum about it.”

“Thank you!” He yipped while wagging his tail furiously. “I knew I could count on you! The others just laughed at me.”

Gaster continued on his way to the kitchen and found his mother already inside. She saw him in the doorway and gave a gentle “good morning”, which he returned. She appeared to be making tea, but hadn't started breakfast yet.

"Pull up a chair, I've already got some tea for you." She said.

Gaster sat at the table and watched his mother pour the tea into the two mugs. She was still in her nightgown, and it swung slightly as she walked.

“Myanmar got himself stuck again.” He told her

“Yes, I'm aware. You father forgot to trim his horns before it could happen again. I'll free him later once he’s awake.” Candara said. She turned around and saw that Gaster was fully dressed already; something he usually doesn't do in the morning.

"You certainly look ready for the day," she placed the smaller mug in front of him before taking a seat herself. "I couldn't even get your father up this morning."

"That's because he can be a lazybones sometimes." Gaster replied, taking a sip of his tea. It was nice and sweet with a bit of milk, just how he liked it.

"Indeed," Candara chuckled. "So where are you off to this early in the morning? The sun's barely up itself."

"To meet someone again from yesterday. He said I could visit if I wanted to. He works at the inn all day, so he'll be there when it opens."

"Is that right? What's he like?"

"He's a fire monster, and he looked around my age. He seems cool to know."

"Well I won't keep you then. Go on, just be back in time for supper."

"I will, thanks mum!"

The boy quickly finished his tea and dashed out the door. He didn't even put the chair back under the table. Before long, Corbel entered the kitchen, who was still trying to ward off the remains of sleep.

"Look who finally rolled out of bed." Candara greeted.

"You took the blankets and I was getting cold. Where's Wingdings off to?"

"Visiting a new friend of his. Dear, have you heard of a child working as young as him? All day?"

"Certainly not all day. It's probably family business, lots of shops are run that way. I wouldn't worry about it too much."

“…I suppose.” She said, half convinced. The way her son described it still sounded strange, but it would be best not to think about it too much and jump to conclusions.

"So where's my tea?"

"You've got arms, don't you? Tea is for early risers, you know that. I've got to go free Myanmar. Poor thing got himself stuck trying to put his big head through the window. He's not the brightest beast you know."

"He's not stupid, just....curious."

Candara gave him a knowing look

"...I'll trim his horns again so you can get him out."

"Thank you."

\----

Gaster entered the inn and looked around. There weren't many customers anywhere, was it always like this? Grillby spotted him from the counter and waved to call him over.

“I didn't think it would be so empty.”

"We don't usually get many visitors in the morning, and most of the customers are asleep upstairs. I actually wanted to ask more about you yesterday, but I was in a rush. I've never seen a skeleton in person until yesterday.”

"Really? Not ever?"

"Skeletons just don't live around here.”

"My parents had a job to do with the king, so we had to move over here. I haven't asked you any questions yet though; what's your story?"

“I’m just a kid with a day job, there’s not much to talk about."

"Not much to talk about? You're literally on fire! You can't tell me that's not pretty cool."

"It's not cool when people are usually afraid of you. They always think I'm gonna burn stuff. I mean, I can, I don't like to get that hot though."

"I don't like scaring people either."

There it goes again, that awkward silence. 

"So....do you want anything?"

"Huh? Oh! No, not really. Sorry, I'm just not good at holding conversations..."

"It's alright, it's pretty funny seeing you like that."

Ouch.

"Gee, thanks. It's nice to know that you're entertained by my misery."

"Ah come on, I'm only teasing you." He said while giving the kid a playful shove; then he lowered his voice down to a whisper. "But seriously, I do need to look like I'm working right now."

"So why don't you just actually work?"

"Because I’m here all day, I'm resting now for when things pick up."

“That sounds hard, did you need some help?”

“I'm fine by myself, I've been doing this for a while.”

“I'll go then, I don't want to get you in trouble.”

Gaster said goodbye and made his way back home. Upon entering the front door, he was knocked down by a very happy Myanmar. His parents must have trimmed his horns , since there were now just short nubs where they used to be .

“I have been freed! I sat here waiting for you, because I was lonely."

“Get off!” He said with an annoyed tone. The blaster whined and stood back up with an apologetic look.

“Sorry…It's just that you forgot to pet my face. Marlett pet my face to be nice. It's not the same."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wingdings is Gaster's official name in this story, but he doesn't like to use it since it's an embarrassing first name.  
> Also in case you were wondering, Gaster isn't Myanmar's brother for real, he just considers him to be. I'll get into it in the next chapter.


	4. Interrogation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaster spends some time with his dad and momma gets to work.

 

"Alright, alright, but I won't pet you anymore if you keep pouncing people; you could hurt someone."

Gaster pet Myanmar's face like he wanted. That seemed to soothe him, and he followed Gaster into the living room. His father was inside; he sat in a large arm chair by the bookshelf and was flipping through the pages of some book. Marlett was resting on the floor beside him.

"Where's mum?"

"She had some business to attend to, She'll be home later. Would you care to sit with me? We haven't talked." Corbel asked.

The boy walked over and sat on the arm of the chair, while Myanmar began pestering his brother while he slept.

"How do you like it here?"

"It's different. There are a lot more humans here than the town we came from."

"Then it's good to hear that things haven't been horrible. I just want you to be comfortable here, especially with your mother and I out of the house so much."

"But why? You never told me what you're doing."

"It's highly confidential, so I'm afraid I can't tell you the specifics. But the tension between humans and monsters is very high here, and we need to find ways to keep everyone safe. Understand?"

"Yes..."

"Good. I wish I could tell you more, I really do."

Myanmar had poked Marlett one too many times, and he groaned in frustration.

"If you poke me one more time I'm telling momma!"

"No you're not, because little brother will cover for me!"

" He's not little brother!"

" Momma had a baby, therefore he is little brother!"

"Myanmar, let your brother rest.” Corbel intervened. “You can pester him when he's awake."

Myanmar whined and walked out of the room sulking. Meanwhile, Marlett let out a huff and went back to his nap. Gaster’s gaze was on the entryway where he left.

“He'll be alright.” Corbel sighed. “He always is, remember? Give him a few hours and he'll be running circles again.”

“I know, I just don't like seeing him like that. I think I'll go talk to him, he always likes that, even if I can't understand everything.”

Gaster hopped off the arm of the chair and trotted up the stairs.

* * *

 

Candara walked purposefully down the hall of the castle with Calibri following close behind. At the end of the hall was the interrogation room, guarded by a minotaur named Bertram. His wore shiny metal armor and held a spear as tall as himself in his hand. He stood up straight in a salute when she approached.

“Morning Inquisitor.” His eyes wandered to the large blaster trailing behind her. No doubt he had never seen one. “If I may ask..”

“She's backup. If all goes well, she won't have to do a thing.”

“Yes, of course. The suspect is right inside.”

Candara nodded and made her way through the double doors. The interior of the room was simple; it had wooden floors with mahogany walls. In the center was a desk with the suspect in a chair on the opposite end. His hands were tied around the back. He looked young, with messy hair and common clothes. He remained silent and refused to make eye contact. The skeleton moved forward and sat to the desk.

“I was informed that you were apprehended on the basis of being a spy for the Opposition. I'm assuming you have nothing to say about that.”

The young man scowled and remained silent.

“The fire titan met an untimely demise a couple years ago. She was greatly loved among monsters…and we have reason to believe your group was behind it.”

She jerked forward, slamming her hands onto the desk with a loud thud. “Speak!”

“I already told you demons that I'm not saying a thing, you can't prove any of it!”

"Don't give me that crap! I hope you know the position you're in because there's a pair of jaws waiting right behind that door for you if you don't."

"You wouldn't sic nothing on me." He said with a hint of disbelief. He was getting cocky now.

With a snap of her fingers Calibri burst through the doors and lunged forward, knocking the man down and destroying the chair in the process.

"The king doesn't care whether you live or die..." Candara walked around the desk and knelt down beside him. Her blood red halos for eyes bore into his with a venomous gaze. "Now, you can tell me what you're planning or she'll _**paint the floor with your brains.**_ "

“T-They're after the titans. Their essence will make our mages more powerful. That’s all I know!”

“You bastards…so it was you.”

“I didn't have a hand in it!”

“You're right; you didn't. You're just a lowly spy aren't you? Cali.” 

On command, the blaster released the spy. His hands were free, so she still growled at him to let him know that it would not be wise to try anything. 

“Get out. If you value your life you'll never come back here. **I  won't  hesitate  if  I  see  you  again.** ”

“Yes-Yes Ma'am!”

The young man scrambled away and disappeared down the hall. Bertram was about to run after him, but Candara stopped him.

“Don't go after him, I let him go.”

“Did he tell you anything about the assassination?” he asked.

“I wouldn't have released him otherwise. They're targeting the other titans to strengthen their mages; I can only fear what for.”

“Well by the gods…Do you really think they can pull something off like that?”

“I doubt the death of Broodmother was a fluke. They can surely do it again given enough time. I’ve got to report my findings to the king, no doubt he’ll want to hear this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Momma is definitely not someone you'd want knocking on your door in the middle of the night. She's scary D:  
> And yeah, per my promised explanation, the blasters aren't blood related to the skelefam. They were adopted as puppies and raised for a couple years before Gaster came along.


	5. Tvtropes

Not a chapter but, we do have a tvtropes now! I was feeling motivated and decided to make one: [Link](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/Beginnings)

Sorry for the long wait. I don't plan in advance. The next chapter should be coming soon...I think... *hides in corner*


	6. Comfort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you don't know by know by now, it best to keep a translator handy when reading this story (Some phones/tablets replace wingdings with caps, so no worries there.)  
> It isn't required, but it's good if you want the full context of conversations with the blasters.

 

 

"They plan to do **_what!?_** "

"It is as I told you, my Lord"

"To think that they would dare do such a thing..."

The King paced back and forth in thought. After a moment, he paused.

"How much longer until the next one falls?"

"We don't know. It would take time, but if they're as strong as we believe then it could be less than before. Might I suggest sending soldiers to aid them?"

"No, I do not think that is a good idea. It would only draw more attention, and I do not want any false alarm.”

He sighed, and turned back to the Inquisitor with a softened expression.

“You and your husband are dear friends of mine, and I respect your judgement. But, we cannot afford to be reckless with this. I will be sure to discuss this with the human king. You are dismissed, Inquisitor."

She bowed, and promptly left. She did not agree with leaving the other titans on their own, but it made sense that sending armed parties to various locations would raise suspicion, and that was the last thing they needed right now. But what of the killers? They can't go unpunished, and she doubts the human king is so innocent. It _must_ have been arranged; no average group of vigilantes could've done it.

Calibri whined and nudged Candara.

"I'm sorry, darling. I guess I got lost in my thoughts again."

The blaster snorted and gave her a stern look.

"Don't worry, I wasn't thinking anything brash. It's just...if those humans could bring her down, what else are they capable of?" The woman pet Calibri gently. "But I don't want to worry you with that. Luckily that job falls on me."

* * *

 

"Myanmar, it's okay."

"No it's not! I remember how those people used to bully you! They didn't like you being my brother, but I do..."

"Well, I don't pay them any mind." Gaster said as he scratched the sad creature's mandible. "You shouldn't either."

"You really mean that?"

"Of course I do!"

"Wow! Thanks little brother...I just wish the others thought the same way. Appearance matters so much to them."

Gaster didn't really know what else to say. It wasn't like he was wrong, in fact he was right. They had this conversation all the time, and despite how redundant it is, he always gets stuck on whenever the past is brought up. He was basically a infant at the time, so of course he couldn't remember how he was treated, nor did he care enough in the present, along with everyone else. He just wanted to make Myanmar feel better, and agreeing to his claims always worked.

After all, brothers are cool. He wasn't going to go around town saying his brother was a dog, but for his sake he was willing to treat him as such.

“So you're better now?”

" As I’ll ever be!” 

Myanmar paused in thought for a moment.

"Little Brother, would you care to go frolicking in town with me? I would go myself, but I require a diplomat so I don't look like a savage beast.” 

“You don't look very savage to me.”

" But I am still very beastly! I went to a park yesterday and humans threw sticks at me until I left. One got stuck in my ribs, and Momma had to take it out.” 

“I didn’t know about that! Are you alright?”

“I am unharmed! I could never be harmed by puny sticks. But would you come with me please? It was unpleasant.” 

“Right now? I mean, I'd love to but I just got b-”

"You’ll really take me? Wow! We’re going to have the best day ever; then I can add it to my collection of my other best days ever!” 

“Hey, wait!” Gaster called, but he was too late to back out now it seemed. At least he would be able to see more of the city...

* * *

 

The blaster trotted excitedly down the cobblestone paths with his tail raised high. He looked at everything with heightened interest. Instead of enjoying all the sights as well, Gaster had to spend most of his time steering Myanmar away from trouble. (No, you can't just eat food on street carts.) The boy just kept a firm grip on the beast’s vertebrae to prevent himself from falling, but otherwise he was just along for the ride.

As the two made their way out of the different shops and into the main crossings, Gaster noticed a familiar flaming monster on the opposite side of the road. He appeared to be keeping to himself, and he walked quickly.

“What’s he doing out?” He said to himself.

"Is that your friend?” 

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“I will call him!” 

_Nonononono_ -

The blaster threw his head back and just started wailing. The noise sounded like a tortured seal, or maybe a deranged dog. It definitely wasn’t the most angelic noise. Gaster quickly wrapped his arms around Myanmar's muzzle to shut him up before he could continue.

“ _What was that??_ People are staring!” He said in a somewhat loud whisper.

"My most noticeable call.”  He replied with a muffled voice.

“I see that!”

"Would you prefer if I howled for you instead?” 

“ _No!_ ” He exclaimed.

Much to the young skeleton's embarassment, Grillby had heard the noise, and he recognized him from a distance when he looked.

"See? I have successfully summoned him!” 

Gaster shyly greeted his friend after the blaster so gracefully beckoned him over.

“Do your dogs really do weird stuff like that all the time?” He asked.

“Well...Yeah. They do.” He paused for a moment, then continued. “He wanted to see the city, so I had to go with him.”

“I could show you around you know. I've always lived here, so I know my way around.”

“Don't you have work?”

“I’m off early today, so it's not a problem.”

“I say we follow your fire friend!”  The blaster yipped.

“That would be a yes.” Said Gaster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I imagine the blasters sounding like hyenas when they aren't speaking, and hyenas make some pretty crazy noises besides their famous cackling. You can just go on youtube and see.


	7. Despair syndrome

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the reality of things begin to surface.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY SO this was not supposed to take 3 months to write. A freakin' _blue moon_ managed to happen before I could update; I hate that. Most of it's due to laziness, my odd writing method where I type a bunch of vaguely connected ideas first and sew it all together somehow, and my complete inability to write filler.  
>  Several parts were cut and saved for later, and bunch were added, etc.  
> Anyway...onto the story? It's been a while.

 

"Most people live over here, in the residential part of the city. It's busy during the day, but everything's usually quiet when night comes."

Grillby turned around and pointed across the street, towards an avenue of houses and shops.

"Over there is where the most of humans live. You can't see it from here, but it's the way to their king's castle. You probably shouldn't go there."

"Why not?" Gaster asked.

"You'll end up as dust. Some humans are nice; others, they don't like us."

"Humans aren't that bad."

"You're new here. I don't like to talk about it...but I've seen it. They're not gonna kill you for walking over there, but just watch your back."

Gaster almost didn't believe it, maybe he was trying to scare him, but even Myanmar didn't want to go there. His tail stopped wagging and everything, and he just stared at it. He didn't like that place.

"Let's go somewhere else..."

Grillby agreed and led them once again. This time, it was to a large and peaceful park; the only one in the whole city. It had soft, rolling hills with large oak trees spotted around. With winter approaching, the leaves had already changed colors and started to fall, and the grass was a pale color. The paths were simply made of dirt, but were well-kept and neat. In the center of the park was a large pond.

Myanmar whined and kept looking at the ducks swimming in the pond not too far from them. He looked at Gaster expectantly, who just rolled his eyes.

"Go on..."

The blaster yipped and dashed straight to the pond before leaping in; scaring all the ducks away.

He wasn't able to catch any, but what else was new.

"He really likes to play, doesn't he?"

"Almost too much."

"I think he's alright -- you know, for a dog."

He took a seat on a nearby bench and patted the spot next to him so Gaster would sit.

"The only place left is the shops, but that's where we started."

"What about the castle? That's where my parents go every day."

"We'd never get in, only roy-- wait, _your parents?_ What do they do?"

"I think they're researchers. I read their letters a few times, and they always discuss what was discovered and how it can be used and stuff. I don't know, it was all vague. They won't tell me anything themselves either."

"That's rough...Maybe we can take a look in the castle one day. We might see them."

"You just said we could get in trouble for that."

"If we don't get caught, we can't get in trouble for anything." He teased.

 

They spent the rest of the day in the park, talking to each other. They talked about different things until dusk, when the sky had clouded over and flurries of snow began to fall. Grillby sat up on the bench when he felt one touch him, it was like pins and needles.

"What's wrong?"

"I can't be out in the snow." He said as he stood up. "I should head home before it picks up."

"Oh, well I'll see you later then? I promised my mum I would be back in time for supper anyway."

"Yeah, see you." He said as he left.

 

Gaster made his way home as well, with Myanmar close behind. When they returned, they found Corbel inside preparing supper. Or, well, not preparing supper. He appeared to be dividing meat he had bought, but that's all there was. There was one plate where a cooked piece of meat had been place, and Gaster hoped it was his.

"We're home." He greeted. Myanmar had since left his side to swarm around their father with all the other blasters.

It took a moment for him to respond, but he eventually greeted him back.

"Where have you been all day? You were gone before I even got out of bed this morning." He asked.

"With a friend, he was showing me around." Gaster responded.

"Well while you were out having fun, I had to spend the afternoon harassing the butchers. You can't buy this much meat without them wondering what in the gods' name you need it for."

He tossed the large hunks of meat to the blasters, who quickly began to gobble it down.

"It's raw..." Gaster said.

"To be frank, they don't care and neither do I."

Corbel gave Gaster his plate before making his way to the stairs.

"You aren't eating?"

"No worries, I've eaten already." he replied before making his way up the stairs.

The blasters happily ate their food, and Gaster was satisfied (and thankful) with his cooked portion. He cleaned the dishes after he was done and put them away, since his father was too tired to bother cleaning up after himself. By the time he finished, his mother had returned home. Calibri returned too, but her siblings didn't bother to greet her.

"Momma!"

"Hi, Momma! "

"Momma's home! "

The blasters called as they ran to the door with wagging tails, and Candara petted all of them. Gaster walked out of the kitchen to see his mother before he went to sleep.

"Your father's not here?" she asked him.

"He's asleep. He said he was out shopping all day, and he looked really tired."

"Poor thing. I probably shouldn't have left that all up to him."

She looked around before saying goodnight and going to her room. Gaster didn't realize until she left that his father hadn't made her anything.  Hopefully she wasn't too upset by it.

 

In her room, Candara changed into her night clothes and crawled into the bed. Corbel heard her come in, but he was still half-asleep. 

"Did you enjoy your supper?" She asked him.

"Mhm...did you?"

"I wouldn't know."

Corbel just realized he had forgotten, and turned to face her.

"You know I can be forgetful sometimes, it just slipped my mind..." he apologized.

"Oh, so you're so forgetful you forgot your own wife?" She said, and he shrunk back.

"That's not what I meant, I-I just had a lot to do today!" He whimpered.

She just looked at him while he babbled on about explaining himself. Eventually he stopped trying and the room fell silent.

"I'm this close to having you sleep on the floor. You're lucky we had something to eat already before we came home. " she chided.

"Did anything happen today?" He asked. She didn't appreciate him changing the subject like that, but she was tired and  he was trying to save his own bony hide, so she answered him.

"I discovered that Broodmother wasn't the only target; the others are in danger. Unfortunately, we can't take any sort of action. I don't like this."

"I'm sorry dear, I would have helped but I couldn't leave Wingdings alone on his first day."

"I know you had to stay. I don't like leaving him either, but tomorrow you have to go. I'm not covering for you anymore, and I can't be absent." she replied before rolling over to sleep.

She scared him, just a little bit, because she could tell he was still laying there defensively like he messed up. He did, but she pitied him, so she gave him a quick peck on the skull before going to sleep.

* * *

It had been a week since Gaster spent time on his own. Now he only saw his parents early in the morning and late at night. It wasn't like he wasn't used to it. In fact, he remembers how it was like that all the time back in Tenebrae. They were around as much as they could be when he was little, but as he grew older he saw them less and less.

He spent as much time outside of the house as he could. Grillby made that easier. He visited him at the inn every day, and he appreciated his company. They would spend the days wandering the city until dusk.

That is, until he stopped coming.

 

Gaster entered the inn and greeted his friend like he normally would. He would always visit in the morning so he wouldn't disturb him while he worked. It hadn't been that long, only a week, but he had noticed that he became a lot less enthusiastic about explore in that short span of time.

"Are you able to go outside today?" He asked him.

"Today's not good for me."

"Are you busy?"

"I just don't feel well."

"Well...I hope you feel better! Maybe tomorrow?"

"Yeah, tomorrow."

Except he wasn't better tomorrow. For the next few days he was still sick. After that he began to act like he was better, but Gaster could see that he still wasn't well. He thought at first that his flame was dull because he was a kid, but now he could tell that his energy was just...low.

He wasn't as bright and, probably the most concerning, he wasn't warm. At first he could feel his heat from a distance, now he has to be really close.

To say he was worried was an understatement. Grillby was lying about it, but why?

One time he was the worse than any of the other days. Gaster visited him at night, and it was around closing time. He was too busy to talk that day, but he was worried that he might be pushing himself too hard. When he entered, Grillby didn't greeted him. His glasses were off and his hands covered his eyes.

"Are you alright?"

"I can't see straight..." he replied in a shaky voice. It wasn't normal.

The skeleton moved from where he was standing and behind the counter where his friend was.

"H-Hey, are you okay?" he asked.

Grillby was shaking pretty bad, and he didn't look too good either. He pushed himself to carry on, but something was off. He swayed, then he collapsed onto the ground unconscious.

"Grillby!"

He rushed to him. Luckily he was still breathing, so he wasn't dead -- at least not yet anyway.

 

Gaster made it home with his friend in his arms. The blasters saw him, but didn't run to his since they knew something was wrong.

"Where's mum and dad?"

Gaster asked.

"Momma's upstairs, but papa isn't here..." Verdana barked.

" _Get her, quickly!_ "

Verdana ran up the stairs and pawed at Candara’s door for her to come out. Before long she was on her way down. 

“He said he was really dizzy, then he just fell. He's been sick for a while but he wouldn't get better…”

She had to share some of her magic with him. She had enough to spare, and he needed it.

She pulled out Grillby's soul and was horrified at the state it was in, but now was hardly the time to stare. Candara cupped the golden soul in her hands and focused. Streams of glowing green magic flowed into the soul from the palms of her hands. The soul regained it's vibrance, if only for a moment, but it otherwise didn't seem to do anything to repair it. Regardless, he began to stir, so she returned it to him.

Grillby opened his eyes, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. He tried to sit up, but another wave of dizziness hit him and he layed back down.

"Try not to move, okay?" Gaster said.

 

Not long after, Gaster's father had returned home. He immediately became concerned when he saw Grillby passed out on the couch.

"What's going on?" Corbel asked.

"This child's sick. Wingdings brought him here after he fainted." Candara replied.

"Did you check his soul?"

"I did, it looked awful. It's all malformed and pale..."

"Do you think we should get a doctor?"

"That would be best. I don't want to risk anything by tending to him myself."

"I'll fetch her; hopefully she hasn't gone to bed already."

As soon as he had arrived, he left. All they could do now was wait.

About half an hour passed and the front door opened again to reveal Corbel followed by the doctor; a human woman.

"I should probably introduce myself...I'm Dr. Eliza, I run the clinic on the outskirts of the city. I was just about to close for the night, but I had to be here as soon as I heard what was going on." Eliza as she took off the coat she had been wearing and placed it on the hook by the door.

"I'm guessing this is him?"

She kneeled by the side of the couch so she wasn't towering over him, and gave him a friendly hello. Grillby shrunk back in the couch and eyed her defensively. He was nervous about having a human look at his soul, but Gaster's parents had called her, and he trusted them.

 

To put things lightly, his soul looked awful. It looked scabbed in some places and cracks were everywhere.

"It looks just as bad as you said it was. Using more green magic won't help here, it isn't healing right."

"His soul shows signs of trauma, though it's hard to tell from what. Elementals like him are incapable of showing physical injuries -- unless they're of the earth variety -- so it shows in their soul instead."

"So...What does that mean then?"

"I'll have to remove the odd pieces and let it heal itself. In other words, he'll need surgery, and quickly."

"Will that hurt?"

"I'm afraid so. Souls are very sensitive, and it would be impossible to numb the pain."

"I'll have to get back and prepare. I can have a carriage sent by. It's cold out tonight, and it's not good for him."

Dr. Eliza made her way to the front door and grabbed her coat before returning to the clinic. Gaster turned towards Grillby, who had passed out once again. He couldn't do anything else but wait for the doctor to come back and take him. She would cure him, right? The surgery would work...right?

Candara decided her son had seen enough for one day, so she ushered him to go to bed. He resisted, but she eventually was able to take him to his room and tuck him in for the night while his father looked after Grillby downstairs.

"You don't have to worry, you know.  The doctor said it's not too late."

"But what if something goes wrong? W-what if--"

She hushed him and kissed his forehead.

"He'll be just fine, I promise. She knows what she's doing."

* * *

 

After a while the carriage arrived; driven by a small mouse monster with big ears that was bundled up like she could trek five miles in the snow. Gaster's parents were surprised to see her and not the doctor, but she handed them a note she had been keeping in her pocket.

 

> "I'm Nellie, and I'm Dr. Eliza's trustworthy assistant!
> 
> I was sent to retrieve a young fire monster from this house, so he may be treated and hopefully restored to good health."

 

The rest of the note included details about the surgery, recovery times, and other things. All basically proof that this was a carriage the doctor sent.

They carried the young fire monster to the carriage, making sure he would be comfortable, and closed the door. Then Nellie climbed back onto the horse and trotted away.

The ride to the clinic wasn't too long, and they arrived within half an hour. Dr. Eliza took Grillby inside and placed him on the surgical table. By that time he had woken up again, and he was far beyond nervous. The table next to him was covered with all sorts of sharp tools. He knew this part was coming, but he hoped he would still be knocked out; then he could've just slept through it.

The doctor tried her best to calm him, but there was only so much she could do. She preferred that he slept too, and she considered giving him medicine to do so, but all the pain would just hit him when he woke up and she doubted he could endure that in his state.

"I'll go as quickly as I safely can." she said while pulling out his soul. Afterwards she turned to pick up a scalpel and aimed it carefully at the base of one of the growths with a steady hand. In one quick motion she sliced it off, and the piece disappeared into the air. With each cut the doctor made, he could feel a sharp pain shoot through his entire body, and he screamed. It was hell, and it felt like an eternity. By the end of it he was crying.

 

"Shhh...It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you anymore. That was the last one, see?"

Where all the growths used to be, there were holes and indentations where they had obviously been cut.

"Don't worry, they'll fill in by themselves. It's going to take a while though; probably weeks. You'll need to rest until then."

He was too weak to move on his own, so she picked him up and placed him in one of the spare beds. She gave him a warm blanket and sat on the edge of the bed next to him. She couldn't just leave him by himself after something like that, it pained her to even have to do that procedure on a child. Eventually he was too tired to cry anymore, and he slowly drifted asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you go looking for it, Tenebrae is a fictional location. The place is pretty important to the story's universe, so expect so see it around.
> 
> This was probably the longest thing I've ever written; my essays aren't even this long. Poor Grillby will be fine, I guess.


	8. Terra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaster pays a visit to the clinic, and we get to follow Corbel around for a bit \o/

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who isn't dead? This guy! (Also half the cast but whatever)  
> Thanks to everyone that still sticks to this story, even with my terrible schedule, if you can call it that. I really appreciate that people love this story as much as they do! I actually didn't think it would gain much traction when I made the first chapter, but here we are!
> 
> Anyway...onto the chapter!

 

 

A few days went by, and Gaster was finally told it was alright to visit him. He wanted to see him sooner, but was told he needed to rest. With all that's happened, he couldn't help but be afraid of something, anything going wrong.

He arrived at the front door of the clinic and gave it a knock. When there was no answer he tried again. It wasn't until after he knocked that he noticed the door had a "be back later" note on it. He was just about to leave, then the door was answered by Nellie. She was still standing on the stool she needed to reach the doorknob. He told her he was here to see Grillby, and she nodded before letting him in. She led him to the room he stayed in before leaving to perform other duties. After knocking on the door and getting a response, he fully stepped inside.

"Are you feeling any better?" He asked.

"I'm better than I was. The nurse says I'm still weak though."

"You could've just told me you weren't well."

"It's not that easy sometimes..."

"Why not?" He pryed. He was honestly annoyed with the secrecy -- he could've died!

"Not everyone is trustworthy. Some things you can't tell to just anybody, you don't know what they'll do or how they'll react."

The words stung like bees. He still didn't trust him? He thought they were friends!

" _I helped save your life!_ Do I have to want something? The worst that could've happened was that you were healed sooner!"

"No it's-- nevermind, you don't get it...

"No, I don't! You were my friend, if you even know what that is."

"If course I do, I'm not stupid!"

"You don't act like it!"

 

The room fell silent for a while.

 

"I'm just not used to it." He said quietly.

Gaster suddenly felt guilty for getting upset at him. He moved over and sat next to him on the bed.

"You don't know anyone else?"

"No one..." he wiped his eyes and chuckled. Was he crying? Gaster didn't even know he could. "I haven't had friends in a long time if you haven't noticed."

Gaster sat next to him in silence and let him have his moment. He's had nobody besides his parents in a long while, so he understood some of his actions now. In an odd way, they were alike.

"I guess sometimes I forget to say thank-you, so...thanks for helping me." Grillby finally spoke up after a while before pausing again. "...Can I be alone for a while? I'll see you when I can go...okay?"

Or maybe Gaster didn't understand him at all. If anything, wouldn't he want company? Why be alone if it just makes him feel bad? Maybe he just doesn't like being seen like that. He stood back up and left the room, closing the door behind him. As he moved to the entryway he heard the front door open, and the doctor walked inside as she chatted with someone.

"Well I'm glad you found me," she said. "I don't spend a lot of time in the city, and I wouldn't know the first place to look. You must be worried about him, he probably misses you."

"I'm sure he does! I do wish I could've been there at the time to help, but I was away on business." said the man. "How is he?"

"He's much better, but he won't be ready to go for some time...I want to make sure he's stable first."

"No that's alright, I understand."

"You're free to visit him if you want! I'm sure he'll be glad to see you."

"Thank you, I would."

He couldn't get caught eavesdropping, so he casually came through the doorway and headed to the front door. When he looked back, the doctor escorted the man to the room. Was that supposed to be Grillby's dad or something? He wasn't expecting, well, a human. He seemed nice enough at least.

Gaster looked around before leaving, and strangely didn't see Nellie anywhere. He decided not to think much of it, and continued his way outside.

 

* * *

 

The only reason he was here and not in the castle was because he agreed to help with local crime cases as well. He would be nowhere near as busy as Candara, so he figured he would make himself useful.

Marlett would accompany him, as he usually does, although he made himself less useful. There was a couch in the office, and the blaster preferred to lounge in it rather than provide assistance. He never actually wanted to help, he just liked the office.

Corbel had been giving guidance to the training detectives and occasionally lending his expertise to a case or two, but today was different. It is suspected that a hideout used by The Opposition has been discovered, and he's been tasked to investigate.

"I don't know how long this will take. Keep an eye on things will you?" he said to Marlett as he grabbed his coat and prepared to head out.

"Sure, Papa." Marlett responded.

"If Claire stops by here, those papers on the desk can be taken." He pauses halfway through the door. "And- none of your antics. She's not into you."

Marlett whined.

" _I mean it._ "

 

The building was definitely discrete. It appeared to be just an abandoned home, but there was a door down the alley that could be entered. Corbel opened it as quietly as possible and stepped inside. The interior was full of cobwebs, and you could even hear rats squeaking and scurrying around, but he could tell from the footprints that this place was definitely being used. There was a staircase that led to the second floor, but it was so worn it looked unsafe to use. He doubted any of them had been up there, so he stuck to exploring the first floor. 

Lo and behold, there was a room that showed more obvious signs of use: a large study with plenty of chairs scattered around. This must be a place where some of the meetings were held. The skeleton checked all the shelves; they were empty. He then checked the desk drawers, and they were empty as well-- except for one. Inside were several pieces of folded paper, and he took the time to look through them. They appeared to be brief transcripts of meetings; notes detailing ideas, strategies, that sort of thing. There was no mention of Broodmother anywhere, but that was years ago and they probably discarded such notes. However, a different titan had been mentioned in the notes. Terra.

As far was he was concerned, Terra was still alive, but that doesn't mean he would be for long. This must be when they chose him as the next target. Corbel folded the papers again and stuffed them in the pocket on the inside of his coat before closing the drawer again.

 

He could tell he was no longer alone here.

 

Suddenly, something swooped down at him and he jumped out of the way. It was a bat-like monster with a dark purple body and flattened nose. He wore a cloak with space for his large wings, although it did nothing to conceal his face. Honestly, Corbel was surprised to find a monster here.

"Hand over the notes, skeleton." He threatened.

"You're a monster like us, why would you betray--"

"Those titans are not like us!" The monster interrupted, "We're just giving the justice we deserve." The bat snapped.

"Killing them is _justice_ to you, after all they've done to protect this kingdom?" Corbel retorted.

"I know your type. You come in to defend them, but have no idea what they've done. You haven't been here to know!" The other monster said as he stalked around him, ready to attack once more. "We're saving lives! Can't you see that?!"

"You idiot...they'll kill you too once it's over!"

The bat lunged again. Corbel quickly dodged, and countered by slashing the monster's face with his claws. He screeched and clutched the wound with his hand while backing away.

"They're not trying to save anyone. Did it never occur to you where all that magic was going?" The skeleton began to explain, "You've been tricked. They knew the affect killing Broodmother would cause. The other titans would go mad!"

"Then what would they do, kill us all?" The monster scoffed, "You're forgetting that they're all weak. No powers, no abilities; they're nothing without tools."

"You don't give humans enough credit. Some have monster blood in them, who are just as hellbent on destruction as you."

Corbel kept a tight grip on him and dragged him out of the old, run-down building.

"What are you gonna do, kill me? That wouldn't be a very smart thing to do around here."

"Whatever happens to you is my mate's job."

"And just who the hell would that be?

 

* * *

 

Back at the office, Corbel had spread out all the notes on the desk to examine them in peace. He spent the next hour or so trying to make heads or tails of it, but unfortunately it was just simply missing key information, like possible opportunities for attack.

"Why wasn't he first?" Marlett yawned as he stretched out on the couch in the office. "I don't mean anything Papa, but he's the easiest. He never moves."

"He never moves, so he could be overgrown by now. Luckily that gives us some time. They can't exactly go traipsing around in the woods attacking every mossy boulder in sight, now can they?"

The other thing that was missing was how they planned on killing a titan like Terra. He wasn't like the others, even a sword couldn't pierce his stone.

Corbel shook his head, he honestly didn't want to know. The most important thing now was reaching him before they could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, what a chapter! Or at least it might be, I'm actually terrible at judging my own writing.  
> The bat monster looks similar to a mothman from Fallout 76, but I didn't want to write that and people pictured him as an actual moth (whoops).
> 
> Also I didn't forget to translate :P


End file.
